1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to robots. More particularly, the present invention relates to Self-Configurable and Transformable Omni-Directional Robotic Modules.
2. Background of the Related Art
As discussed in “MODULAR AND RECONFIGURABLE MODULAR ROBOTICS” by Paul M. Moubarak and Pinhas Ben-Tzvi Journal of Robotics and Autonomous Systems, modular robotics refers to a category of robotic systems that are made of interconnecting smaller units called “modules”, joined together via docking interfaces. Each module is developed to encompass rudimentary hardware, such as sensors, actuators, computing capabilities and sometimes individual locomotion mechanisms. Because of the docking interfaces that every module carries within its structure, modular robots are often dubbed “reconfigurable” as they possess the ability to scale their capabilities or modify their morphology in response to external stimuli, such as changes in the terrain topology. In contrast to the broader robotic applications, the field of modular robotics is relatively recent with the earliest interest traced back to the late 1980's. Ever since, the research community, realizing the advantages that modular robots possess over rigid-structure counterparts, sustained a gradual progress in the field with researchers from around the world developing ever complex and more versatile modular mobile platforms [1].
Modular robots, in particular mobile platforms, offer significant functional and economical advantages over more traditional single-structure robots. For instance, a modular robot has the ability to adapt to changes in the terrain topography by rearranging the connectivity of the modules. For example, a modular robot can display a wheeled morphology to operate on a flat terrain, a legged morphology to climb stairs, or a snake-like morphology to undulate through tight and narrow spaces. Most importantly, a modular robot has the ability to disconnect individual modules to sneak through tight voids available in a structure (such as a fence or the nibbles of a collapsed building) and to reassemble again once past this obstacle in order to execute a mission. In comparison, for a rigid-structure robot, an unexpected change in the terrain such as the existence of stairs in an urban environment, may compromise its mobility and hinder the success of the assigned mission.
Another advantage of modular robots is scalability. A modular robot can scale its capabilities by docking additional modules together in a reconfigurable architecture. Scalability can be achieved at different levels, such as power scalability, where additional docked modules provide additional overall power to execute a mission that otherwise a single module is unable to accomplish. Scalability can be achieved at the level of mobility.
In addition, the modular nature of reconfigurable robots allows the quick repair of faulty parts, which is often executed by undocking the module that contains the defected part and docking a new stand-by module; a process that can be executed autonomously. This characteristic is especially useful for extreme applications where human intervention is not possible, such as deep space and deep sea exploration.
Yet another advantage of modular robots is task-sharing. The original concept of modular robotics stemmed from the common understanding that a group effort is more effective than an individual effort. Thus, modular robots in some configurations, can operate in swarms of individual modules during exploratory missions, or can assemble together in an architecture to execute a task that otherwise an individual module is unable to accomplish [2].
Still further modular robots are built from one (or few) rudimentary building block that can be mass-produced. This can potentially lower the cost of individual modules, thereby allowing the development of complex robotic structures at an economically competitive cost.